Re-Thinking & Re-Inventing Computer Labs in Schools!
Date: 6th June 2017
This time my blog begins with an interesting thought about re-inventing computer labs in schools and turning them into design studios where students act as content producers and creators and are able to share their work with an authentic audience, which means being able to interact with a real audience.
The idea is inspired by a blog "3 Steps to creating student design teams" by Nichole Kreuger. The author introduces a classroom which is rich in discussion, empowered by student feedback, and collaboration. What I find most interesting in the blog is the use of ECO in schools. ECO is an online world where players interact with a simulated world , they build a civilization using resources from an ECO system , their decisions impact the ECO system both in constructive and destructive ways.Thus engaging students in evidence based decision making. The game covers diverse topics ranging form food, transportation, building and crafting, pollution, criminal justice, land ownership etc.
Just to share an example of how the game works, in the new ECO Alpha version 5.5 a feature Agriculture has been added. The task is to grow plants with high yields balancing proper nutrients and conditions in soil. Before students till the land and grow plants, they have to create an agriculture skill book, craft a farmers table, adjust temperature , moisture and nutrients etc. So imagine students actually learning about farming, agriculture, different tools that are used, affect of temperature, moisture on plant growth, adjusting levels for better yields etc. They are actively engaged in the learning process and not more sitting as passive recipients just like in a traditional classroom.
Another interesting resource shared by the author was use of Minecraft EDU in classrooms. A little exploration and I ended up with amazing lesson plans of integrating Minecraft in the classroom. Just to share one example, there was a lesson plan about Productive Resources for students aged 8 - 10 years, integrating math, economics, technology and digital literacy. The lesson began with building an understanding about productive resources and how these can be used to build a house. Followed by an activity in Minecraft where students work in teams and actually build a home using natural, human and capital resources. In the end they are asked to compare homes with other teams in terms of living space, design and amenities, valuable additions, property selection etc. Followed by a assessment task where students are asked to write a reflective report about the use of productive resources in their project. Thus encouraging collaboration,critical thinking and citizenship skills in students.
Just to share another interesting idea about bringing maker movements to classrooms, inspired from the blog "The next phase in maker movements, building startups?" by Jenny Abamu (May 10, 2017). Imagine a classroom where students are allowed to be messy with technology and end up creating innovative things with technology.
One such thing could be introducing 3D printing , where your only limit is your imagination. Students could be encouraged to design personal use products, customize products based on clients suggestions, create and share with an authentic audience.Apart from this 3D printing could be helpful in understanding geological formations, in interpreting graphs, in creating art , understanding history by scanning and recreating structures, skeletons etc.
While exploring I came across this amazing website Thingiverse Education which had lesson plans, ideas and activities on how to integrate 3D printing into classrooms. One such lesson was about converting 2D drawings into 3D shapes and further connecting them to make different sculptures. Tinkercad was used for designing and the makerbot for printing. Tinkercad is a popular classroom tool for creating new designs from scratch, modifying existing ones, involves skills like dragging, dropping, placing objects, manipulating shapes etc. You could create anything with tinkercad from jewellery, home decor, toys, prototypes and the list is endless. Details in the link below.
Teachers often find it difficult to integrate technology in the curriculum. Resources such as ECO and Minecraft EDU have made this a little easier. Such resources provide students an opportunity to test a hypothesis, analyze a situation, find and devise a solution etc which is not possible in the usual and regular computer classes that we have in schools.
Now lets just for a minute think of our computer labs and what goes on usually, on hearing the bell ring students rush to computer labs , they grab their seats, turn on the monitor screens, press the CPU button to turn on the machine in front of them. Followed by teacher instructions to log onto a particular software (which could be Paint/PowerPoint/MS Word/Excel/Kidspiration/Inspiration/2Publish etc) and complete the given the task at hand. Either they are asked to make a presentation on a topic in PPT, explore the internet for information, make a character sketch in Inspiration, draft a newspaper in Publisher or rarely to make a documentary, or an animation. Students get busy with their work , teacher might divide them in pairs to ensure equality of access, eyes glued on computer screens, some work and discussion among students is observed and the bell rings. Class ends and students go back to their classrooms and the next group of students drop in the computer lab for yet another similar task.
Compare this to a design studio where students are actually using technology to create something which without the use of technology is not possible (SMAR Model - Redefinition). Imagine students designing a civilization using ECO, creating a sculptor using tinkercad and 3D printing, or creating a robot to aid the disable kids, designing a 3D arm, designing a flood resistant house for people residing in flood prone areas, growing plants in a simulated world, measuring impact and suggesting measures to a farmer etc. What is actually happening in such a learning environment is that technology is being used to completely transform learning.
A classroom where students have the option to choose the task, choose the difficulty level, choose the resources, assess and evaluate own work based on descriptors shared by teacher, get to work in groups, individually or in pairs, can link work to real life and gauge the impact on their surroundings will result in adults being prepared for jobs in the 21st century rather then being robots manufactured in a usual classroom.
My next blog will explore changes that need to be made to existing computer labs to turn them into design studios, encouraging meaningful discussion, collaboration, content creation etc. Do we still need those 10 -15 computers in the lab? is there any other arrangement possible? think !!
Happy Reading :)
Sheeba Ajmal
References:
1. ECO Strange World Games
Website: https://www.strangeloopgames.com/eco/
Accessed Online 6th June 2017
2. Minecraft EDU
Website: education.minecraft.net
Accessed Online 6th June 2017
3. The next phase of the maker movement? building startups by Jenny Abamu (May 10, 2017)
Website: https://www.edsurge.com/news/2017-05-10-the-next-phase-of-the-maker-movement-building-startups
Accessed Online 6th June 2017
4. 3 Steps to creating students design teams by Nichole Kreuger (May 8, 2017)
Website: https://www.iste.org/explore/articledetail?articleid=891&category=in-the-classroom&article=utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_content=&utm_campaign=
Accessed Online 6th June 2017
5. Benefits of 3D printing in Schools by Eddie Krasentein (Dec 21, 2014)
Website: https://3dprint.com/27743/3d-printing-benefits-schools/
Accessed Online 6th June 2017
6. Makerbot in Education
Website: https://www.makerbot.com/education/
Accessed online 6th June 2017
7. Thingiverse Education
Website: https://www.thingiverse.com/education
Accessed Online 6th June 2017
8. Art Connector Set
Website: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1734703
Accessed Online 6th June 2017
9. TinkerCad
Website: https://www.tinkercad.com/
accessed Online 6th June 2017
10. SAMR Model
Website: https://en.wikiversity.org/wiki/Instructional_design/SAMR_Model/What_is_the_SAMR_Model%3F
Accessed online 6th June 2017
Date: 6th June 2017
This time my blog begins with an interesting thought about re-inventing computer labs in schools and turning them into design studios where students act as content producers and creators and are able to share their work with an authentic audience, which means being able to interact with a real audience.
The idea is inspired by a blog "3 Steps to creating student design teams" by Nichole Kreuger. The author introduces a classroom which is rich in discussion, empowered by student feedback, and collaboration. What I find most interesting in the blog is the use of ECO in schools. ECO is an online world where players interact with a simulated world , they build a civilization using resources from an ECO system , their decisions impact the ECO system both in constructive and destructive ways.Thus engaging students in evidence based decision making. The game covers diverse topics ranging form food, transportation, building and crafting, pollution, criminal justice, land ownership etc.
Just to share an example of how the game works, in the new ECO Alpha version 5.5 a feature Agriculture has been added. The task is to grow plants with high yields balancing proper nutrients and conditions in soil. Before students till the land and grow plants, they have to create an agriculture skill book, craft a farmers table, adjust temperature , moisture and nutrients etc. So imagine students actually learning about farming, agriculture, different tools that are used, affect of temperature, moisture on plant growth, adjusting levels for better yields etc. They are actively engaged in the learning process and not more sitting as passive recipients just like in a traditional classroom.
Another interesting resource shared by the author was use of Minecraft EDU in classrooms. A little exploration and I ended up with amazing lesson plans of integrating Minecraft in the classroom. Just to share one example, there was a lesson plan about Productive Resources for students aged 8 - 10 years, integrating math, economics, technology and digital literacy. The lesson began with building an understanding about productive resources and how these can be used to build a house. Followed by an activity in Minecraft where students work in teams and actually build a home using natural, human and capital resources. In the end they are asked to compare homes with other teams in terms of living space, design and amenities, valuable additions, property selection etc. Followed by a assessment task where students are asked to write a reflective report about the use of productive resources in their project. Thus encouraging collaboration,critical thinking and citizenship skills in students. Just to share another interesting idea about bringing maker movements to classrooms, inspired from the blog "The next phase in maker movements, building startups?" by Jenny Abamu (May 10, 2017). Imagine a classroom where students are allowed to be messy with technology and end up creating innovative things with technology.
One such thing could be introducing 3D printing , where your only limit is your imagination. Students could be encouraged to design personal use products, customize products based on clients suggestions, create and share with an authentic audience.Apart from this 3D printing could be helpful in understanding geological formations, in interpreting graphs, in creating art , understanding history by scanning and recreating structures, skeletons etc.
While exploring I came across this amazing website Thingiverse Education which had lesson plans, ideas and activities on how to integrate 3D printing into classrooms. One such lesson was about converting 2D drawings into 3D shapes and further connecting them to make different sculptures. Tinkercad was used for designing and the makerbot for printing. Tinkercad is a popular classroom tool for creating new designs from scratch, modifying existing ones, involves skills like dragging, dropping, placing objects, manipulating shapes etc. You could create anything with tinkercad from jewellery, home decor, toys, prototypes and the list is endless. Details in the link below.
Teachers often find it difficult to integrate technology in the curriculum. Resources such as ECO and Minecraft EDU have made this a little easier. Such resources provide students an opportunity to test a hypothesis, analyze a situation, find and devise a solution etc which is not possible in the usual and regular computer classes that we have in schools.Now lets just for a minute think of our computer labs and what goes on usually, on hearing the bell ring students rush to computer labs , they grab their seats, turn on the monitor screens, press the CPU button to turn on the machine in front of them. Followed by teacher instructions to log onto a particular software (which could be Paint/PowerPoint/MS Word/Excel/Kidspiration/Inspiration/2Publish etc) and complete the given the task at hand. Either they are asked to make a presentation on a topic in PPT, explore the internet for information, make a character sketch in Inspiration, draft a newspaper in Publisher or rarely to make a documentary, or an animation. Students get busy with their work , teacher might divide them in pairs to ensure equality of access, eyes glued on computer screens, some work and discussion among students is observed and the bell rings. Class ends and students go back to their classrooms and the next group of students drop in the computer lab for yet another similar task.
Compare this to a design studio where students are actually using technology to create something which without the use of technology is not possible (SMAR Model - Redefinition). Imagine students designing a civilization using ECO, creating a sculptor using tinkercad and 3D printing, or creating a robot to aid the disable kids, designing a 3D arm, designing a flood resistant house for people residing in flood prone areas, growing plants in a simulated world, measuring impact and suggesting measures to a farmer etc. What is actually happening in such a learning environment is that technology is being used to completely transform learning.
A classroom where students have the option to choose the task, choose the difficulty level, choose the resources, assess and evaluate own work based on descriptors shared by teacher, get to work in groups, individually or in pairs, can link work to real life and gauge the impact on their surroundings will result in adults being prepared for jobs in the 21st century rather then being robots manufactured in a usual classroom.
My next blog will explore changes that need to be made to existing computer labs to turn them into design studios, encouraging meaningful discussion, collaboration, content creation etc. Do we still need those 10 -15 computers in the lab? is there any other arrangement possible? think !!
Happy Reading :)
Sheeba Ajmal
References:
1. ECO Strange World Games
Website: https://www.strangeloopgames.com/eco/
Accessed Online 6th June 2017
2. Minecraft EDU
Website: education.minecraft.net
Accessed Online 6th June 2017
3. The next phase of the maker movement? building startups by Jenny Abamu (May 10, 2017)
Website: https://www.edsurge.com/news/2017-05-10-the-next-phase-of-the-maker-movement-building-startups
Accessed Online 6th June 2017
4. 3 Steps to creating students design teams by Nichole Kreuger (May 8, 2017)
Website: https://www.iste.org/explore/articledetail?articleid=891&category=in-the-classroom&article=utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_content=&utm_campaign=
Accessed Online 6th June 2017
5. Benefits of 3D printing in Schools by Eddie Krasentein (Dec 21, 2014)
Website: https://3dprint.com/27743/3d-printing-benefits-schools/
Accessed Online 6th June 2017
6. Makerbot in Education
Website: https://www.makerbot.com/education/
Accessed online 6th June 2017
7. Thingiverse Education
Website: https://www.thingiverse.com/education
Accessed Online 6th June 2017
8. Art Connector Set
Website: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1734703
Accessed Online 6th June 2017
9. TinkerCad
Website: https://www.tinkercad.com/
accessed Online 6th June 2017
10. SAMR Model
Website: https://en.wikiversity.org/wiki/Instructional_design/SAMR_Model/What_is_the_SAMR_Model%3F
Accessed online 6th June 2017
Comments
Post a Comment